Canteen System Assistance Notes

"Use! The! Back! of! the! Knife!"

The farce unique to Showa Japan is being staged again.

At the Tokyo Imperial Palace, beside the Triumphal Moat outside the Sakurada Gate, with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Special Higher Police Department blazing in the background and the flames rising from Hibiya Park as the backdrop, a group of people, young and old, are being beaten with the backs of knives amid screams, the sound of leather boots kicking people, the whistling wind, and the blazing of sirens.

Some people had their heads smashed, some had their hands broken, some retreated in pain and were kicked into the river - this farce with the blazing flames as the background was absurd and fantastic, yet it happened so reasonably. And this farcical scene had not even developed to the real climax.

Soon, a large force of the Imperial Palace Guards, having heard the "fight," rushed to the scene to provide reinforcements. This time, in addition to their ever-present Japanese swords, the reinforcements also carried "Type E-8" rifles engraved with the imperial chrysanthemum pattern. With volleys of fire directed skyward, across the river, and again at the people, the smell of blood mixed with the smell of fireworks finally subdued the situation.

It also brought the farce in Tokyo on the morning of December 20, 1941 to its climax.

The flames are swirling and burning until the combustible materials are consumed and the combustion elements are gone.

It is indeed impossible for a 10.5-ton high-explosive/incendiary bomb to cause a level of fire that would destroy a region or rebuild a city, but in this carefully selected bombing area

The Showa story is still being faithfully performed.

The flames of Showa Tokyo are destined to remember this chaotic day.

But outside this area, such as Ginza, the scene is quite different.

There, pretty dancers bravely climbed onto the roof and looked out at the hellish Kasumigaseki and Nagatacho from afar, watching the human heads floating in the fire, water and bullets.

They discussed whether one of their patrons might be among them, and how that might affect their future circumstances, a feeling of absurdity and uncertainty rising in their hearts. Not long after, a well-informed woman returned with news: two bombs had been dropped at Tokyo Station during the morning rush hour. Although only one had hit the building, it had caused a massive commotion, a severe stampede, and countless casualties.

And when the sun was almost setting in the afternoon, the army troops finally arrived in a hurry in their vehicles, dragging weapons they didn't recognize.

The air raid sirens howled dejectedly at this time, and after nearly an hour

Later, the rumbling sound of cannons was heard from farther away, and gray smoke clouds rose in the sky, like ridiculous fireworks.

The old ladies climbed onto the roof and drove the girls who had been watching for a long time back to the cage-like brothel: it was getting late and they needed to go to work and receive customers.

Business is still booming today. Although there are fewer familiar faces, the girls still have to cheer up and do their best to receive guests with different temperaments.

They didn't know that those people had disappeared in the water, fire or smoke. However, in the gossip of the guests, the girls heard more about the victims: the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Planning Agency and even the Army University were affected. Roppongi, where many high-end restaurants are located, was scared and closed down. The Count Uesugi, who lived in the clouds, was burned to death in his own house.

The only thing they knew about the world through love and wine was that it was an attack from an enemy country. As for where the attack came from, which enemy country launched it, and why it attacked Tokyo, they didn't know and couldn't understand.

Suddenly, a strange and lingering fear appeared in the numb yet sensitive hearts of the Ginza girls.

Oh, maybe that's the smell of war.

Chapter 565 Yamamoto is from Yamamoto

December 20, Pacific Ocean, the weather is very good today. Although the wind is a bit strong, the sky is cloudless.

A massive fleet was sailing across the water. If you looked closely, you could make out four massive aircraft carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Shokaku, and Zuikaku. If it weren't for some unexpected situation on other battlefields requiring reinforcements, you might even have seen the Soryu and Hiryu that had accompanied them on their departure.

These aircraft carriers are the undisputed main force of the Japanese Navy, and at this moment they are proudly returning home carrying the honor of the Imperial Japanese Navy - after all, just ten days ago, they successfully attacked Pearl Harbor, the berth of the US Pacific Fleet, and almost wiped out the strength of the US Pacific Fleet in one battle.

Such an achievement is probably rare even in the history of world naval forces! However, today, the camera aimed at the "protagonist" is not here.

Offshore, aboard the battleship Nagato, the "chief flagship" of the Japanese Navy, Isoroku Yamamoto, dressed in a crisply ironed, beautifully decorated navy uniform, watched as the sailors completed their "mandrel" duties aboard the battleship. At a little after 9:00 this morning, the Nagato and a group of other ships had set sail from the Hashirajima anchorage, bound for the victorious attack fleet.

When leaving, the Yamato, which had just completed sea trials, was entering the port. The Yamato also sounded the whistle to express blessings.

However, at this time, an observation post seemed to have seen a plane flying in the sky, but after several confirmations, they found that there was nothing in the sky, and it turned out to be a false alarm.

Yamamoto was in a good mood because the navy had achieved great success. However, soon, his orderly came over, saluted, and handed Commander Yamamoto a telegram. As he read it, his brow furrowed. The translated telegram contained only a few words:

"Tokyo Incident, smoke columns rise into the sky, Commanders Nagano and Shimada cannot communicate, details are unknown." The telegram was sent from the Yokosuka Naval Base.

Um?

As a Japanese naval officer, Yamamoto's first reaction was to worry about what was happening in Tokyo; but the next moment, as a military and political figure, he came alive, and an inexplicable joy welled up from the bottom of his heart. If those two damn old men, Nagano Osami and Shimada Shigetaro, were gone... cough cough!

As a general, you must be steady and prudent!

Yamamoto suppressed his devilish emotions and whispered something to the orderly. The orderly nodded and went back.

After a while, the orderly came back with several new telegrams, all of which were urgently deciphered by the ship's radio room.

"I am Tojo, and I have arrived at the official residence. To prepare for this extraordinary disaster, I hereby request that all army units in Tokyo report immediately to headquarters..." This message came from the Prime Minister's Office. Strangely, the message to the army wasn't encrypted to prevent naval eavesdropping, but was instead sent in plain text. Furthermore, the message was cut off mid-sentence, leaving the entire message unfinished.

"A column of smoke rises from the direction of the Imperial Palace; the two commanders cannot communicate, and the General Staff has no information to provide. The army has been mobilized." - This was a telegram sent from Yokosuka.

From Yokosuka, the smoke column was coming from the direction of the Imperial Palace. The two commanders were nowhere to be found, and the General Staff Headquarters was hesitating. Damn, the Emperor couldn't...

..Yamamoto touched his chin and thought.

Soon, a telegram arrived from the Naval General Staff. Because the core structure of the Naval General Staff had built-in partition walls and firebreaks to prevent arson attacks by the Army, the telegraph system was still functioning normally. However, the operator on duty said that there were fires all around, and they had no idea what the situation was. They only knew that the area was in chaos and they couldn't contact anyone.

Um......

"Remember to keep it secret and don't spread the word. The welcoming ceremony will proceed as usual." Yamamoto pondered for a moment and instructed the orderly, "After the welcoming ceremony, have Watanabe Anji come to see me."

"Hi!"

The welcome ceremony was unremarkable, with nothing much to write home about.

According to the procedure, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, on behalf of the Combined Fleet, welcomed the warriors who had triumphantly returned from the attack on the American livestock; Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo expressed his gratitude for having fulfilled his mission and brought back victory for the Imperial Country; the sailors stood on the slopes according to the rules, the warships hung fluttering flags, and fired salutes to celebrate.

This should have been a very exciting moment, but Yamamoto seemed a little impatient today: he left the entire ceremony to Chief of Staff Yu Heng and squatted in the bridge of Nagato waiting.

Because just recently, the radio room had received a new telegram, also in plain text. Judging from the header, the sender was from the Army Headquarters, and the message read, "Chiba Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery School, Automobile School, Narashino Armored Forces School! All available personnel, assemble immediately to Chiyoda, without delay!"

Ah! Tokyo! Something big has happened! And it’s a major incident!

After reading the telegram, Yamamoto impatiently summoned Watanabe, closed the door and began to give instructions.

Soon, the catapult track at the tail of the flagship Nagato started to rotate, and Staff Officer Watanabe, who had received Yamamoto's secret order, boarded a Zero-type seaplane observation plane.

The lightweight water observation machine took off into the air under the propulsion of gunpowder and flew towards the mainland.

As Yamamoto's confidant, Watanabe Anji was also quite excited at this moment.

Judging from the information currently available, the situation surrounding the Tokyo Incident remains unclear. Whether it was an army mutiny or a demonic attack, the whereabouts of the two veteran navy officers, Nagano Osami and Shimada Shigetaro, remain unknown. The Emperor's condition is also unknown, and he appears to be in grave danger.

If, at this moment, the incomparably powerful Combined Fleet returned victorious, suppressed the situation, and assisted the new emperor in ascending the throne, it would naturally be able to use the sea to suppress the land and achieve the great cause of the Combined Fleet. Lord Yamamoto would undoubtedly become a genius sent from heaven to save the Empire from danger, and he would be honored with the "trinity" of Minister of the Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, and Minister of the Naval General Staff, commanding the navy and exerting immense power over the government and the people.

When one person succeeds, everyone around him rises to prominence. And I, Commander Yamamoto's trusted confidant and the brave Staff Officer Watanabe, who has the "merit of delivering messages," will naturally rise to prominence as well!

After welcoming the aircraft carriers and accompanying ships, the powerful naval formation began to slowly move toward the anchorage on Hashira Island. Yamamoto specifically requested that the fleet not move too quickly, ostensibly to comfort the sailors returning from the expedition, but in reality to dawdle and await further news.

By this time, has Watanabe arrived in Yokosuka? Will there be any problems with the Type 0 submarine reconnaissance aircraft?

Are the weather conditions favorable? Will the army send planes to intercept us?

Yamamoto's mind was filled with questions, yet he denied them all. As a gambler, given enough temptation and potentially enormous gains, he would charge forward without hesitation. Yet, outwardly, he had to maintain his dignity as a naval commander. To this end, Yamamoto Isoroku sat firmly on the bridge of the Nagato, trying to hold his whiskey glass steady. He looked like a Buddha statue, unfathomable and untouchable.

After a while, the orderly came and brought the first message from Staff Officer Watanabe.

"Tokyo was attacked, fires broke out in many places, thick smoke covered the Imperial Palace, the Military Affairs Department was damaged, and rescue efforts are still underway. The two adults cannot be contacted." As expected, God helps... cough cough, cultivate yourself, cultivate yourself, I can't do this.

Yamamoto's hands were shaking slightly. This was simply an opportunity bestowed upon him by Amaterasu! He took a deep breath, and the qualities of a naval commander allowed him to maintain his aloof demeanor. The next second, the qualities of a political animal came into play, and his mind began to work rapidly.

Now, I should have Watanabe immediately begin preparing for the "Trinity" ceremony. I should show that I have everything under control, but also be concerned about the Empire. With those two idiots in the Naval General Staff dead, should I immediately announce that I will take over all naval affairs and confront that corporal whose life or death is unknown? Hmm...

No, this is too hasty. Yamamoto Isoroku continued to plan, racking his brains, thinking about his next step:

I can't rush to the Imperial Palace; that would seem too hasty, too impulsive, too unreserved, too uncool, and would only put me at a disadvantage. The ideal scenario would be that the Army would be unable to handle the chaos, and I, like a savior, would quell the unrest and save Tokyo. Well, Watanabe is my trusted confidant, so he must know what I'm going to do. He should already be planning the necessary ceremonies, like contacting film companies to create a mock-up of the Pearl Harbor attack to show off his achievements; or contacting the Black Dragon Society and other organizations to prepare newspaper articles highlighting that Plan Z, the attack on Pearl Harbor, was solely driven by my insistence...

In this case, I need to prepare the corresponding formal wear... My current attire is already very decent and formal, so there will be no problem going directly to Tokyo to save the people.

But just when Yamamoto decided to find the orderly and send a telegram to guide Staff Officer Watanabe to further work, the orderly came to the door himself: he received the second message from Watanabe.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Imperial Palace has not suffered any disaster, His Majesty the Emperor is well, and there is no further news from you two."

h?

Um......

The Emperor is not...Oh, cough, His Majesty the Emperor is well.

Then being the savior of the Empire is still impossible. It's impossible to remove the stupid Tojo of the Army, form a Navy Cabinet, and support the new Emperor to take the throne...

Yamamoto was unexpectedly sad and regretful, but his good political instinct made him show a little concern at the right time.

"Have Watanabe continue to monitor the situation and contact the Prime Minister's Office. Report any new developments immediately."

"Hai!"

The orderly left again, and Yamamoto took a sip of his whisky—leftover from his earlier meeting with Staff Officer Watanabe, a high-end domestically produced Yamazaki whisky. He savored the fragrant aroma with a certain cherished lingering feeling, then began to consider his next move.

If the two gentlemen were dead, the navy would inevitably be left with a vacuum. And the Emperor was safe... Since he couldn't reach the top, it was still worthwhile to strive for some benefits: if the country was attacked or the army rebelled, Private First Class Tojo's cabinet would undoubtedly be in a very difficult situation and would face many criticisms.

If the navy takes strong action at this time, carrying the victory momentum of the Pearl Harbor attack, to help suppress and control the situation, on the one hand, it can improve the navy's status in the eyes of His Majesty, and on the other hand, it can ask Tojo to make corresponding exchanges of interests... Well, such as the shipbuilding budget... As for me, I can still strive for the "Trinity".

By then, I will be adorned with the glory of victory at Pearl Harbor, have contributed greatly to the suppression of the riots, and be highly regarded by His Majesty the Emperor. Even greater power and influence will be within my reach.

In this case, Watanabe needs to adjust the plan... Yamamoto pressed the doorbell and summoned the orderly in again.

Finally, the orderly came with a freshly printed note.

"The two adults are confirmed to be safe. Previously, I was unable to contact them because I went to the Imperial Palace to protect the emperor." Ah this...

Yamamoto was silent...

"Commander Yamamoto, your call..." The orderly bowed his head and waited for Yamamoto's order.

Yamamoto put the note down and smiled, as if nothing had happened: "Oh, nothing else. Send a message to the Akagi in my name and ask Nanyun to come over."

In the end, the confused Chuichi Nagumo was punished by Yamamoto to stand for an hour, and was inexplicably scolded because the two destroyers' bombardment of Midway Island was not carried out well.

Chapter 566: The little selfishness of the time traveler

From the sunrise over Tokyo a little after six o'clock, to the bombs dropped by Halifax, to the flames and smoke filling the reconnaissance corridor, Liu Helian circled over Tokyo for just over an hour. He filmed once with the reconnaissance equipment built into his modified eMule, then again with the added BenTime product, before reluctantly turning the plane and flying away.

Well, although "watching the fire from the other side of the river" is not very moral, watching the Japanese fire, especially when the fire was set by us, is indeed... quite satisfying.

At an altitude of 15,000 meters, the Stratosphere-2C controlled by Liu Helian began to turn slowly. Although the theoretical maximum ceiling of this thing is 26000 meters

But Liu Helian felt that he was already immune to the Japanese at this level.

There were no aircraft and anti-aircraft guns, so there was no need to climb higher. He gently and slowly moved the rudder, steering this large plane with an extremely large wingspan and extremely large propeller to turn southwest and take another route back.

Unlike the Halifax, which was returning to Rushan or Rizhao, Liu Helian planned to stop over in the New Fourth Army's territory in Su Province, meaning he would cross the entire island of Japan before returning. To this end, he replaced the silver film cartridge of his Fairchild high-altitude camera with a new one, preparing to scout some new targets.

For example, Hashira Island, an important anchorage for the Japanese fleet.

At this time, the weak Japanese air defense system was practically nonexistent compared to Liu Helian's plane. He leisurely turned southwest and began taking the planned reconnaissance photos along the way.

Logically speaking, he should have led the team back. Although the radio station in the Shandong base would play music to guide Halifax and others into the working range of the "baseline" navigator a hundred kilometers from the shore, it was obviously safer to have the eMule, which had its own positioning system.

Detecting the military port on the island is a temporary goal.

The incident had begun just a few days earlier—while accompanying flight 405 to Rushan, Shandong Province's newly constructed "Ring Omnidirectional Listening Antenna" had picked up a strange message: "Gao Liu Yiba, 140, arrived at AD before 9:00 on the 20th, on alert."

There was a string of garbled characters mixed in at the beginning and end of the message.

The Shandong monitoring station has been monitoring the Japanese Navy for a long time and has a deep understanding and organization of many of the Japanese Navy's codes. With the help of modern computers and programs, the decryption speed is very fast.

The intelligence department member stationed on site who was responsible for deciphering intelligence quickly matched the database and found out the true meaning of the message: AD corresponds to 14 in the code, a hexadecimal 14 represents anchorage 20, which is the Hashirajima anchorage; and 140 and Takayanagi point to the same target, which is the A140-F6 plan, that is, the Yamato-class battleship.

Considering that there is only one Yamato-class ship that can be operated at present, and considering Takayanagi Giohachi's resume in historical materials, it can be basically confirmed that it is the Yamato itself. Translated, this telegram was sent to Captain Takayanagi, asking him to take the Yamato to the Hashirajima anchorage to be on alert and on standby before 9:00 on the 20th, that is, 4 days later.

Tsk... Yamato, this is "Asia Pier"...

Out of some intelligence, knowledge, and even a little selfish consideration, Liu Helian sent a telegram to the central government: If the situation allows, can I go and take a photo of this battleship, which is one of the most powerful battleships in human history, at least in his own history?

As an experimental research aircraft, the Stratosphere 2c° Observation Aircraft has comprehensive atmospheric and ground observation facilities and a fully pressurized cabin. Liu Helian also installed large-aperture optical photography equipment produced by Fairchild Semiconductor to take wide-area reconnaissance photos that can be understood in this time and space. He also arranged bunks and a stove for heating meals in the aircraft, and added a rest area.

Therefore, you, the co-pilot, the scout and others can take turns driving to conserve your energy.

Looking down from the sky, the islands of the Seto Inland Sea are like a string of beads, and the dotted white ship tracks represent the busy shipping here, as if war has never set foot here.

They passed over Nagoya, Osaka, and Ōkunoshima, taking valuable aerial reconnaissance photos along the way. Soon, the outline of Hashirajima's iconic "cut potato" began to appear at the end of the field of vision, and as expected, the "long legs" of Yashirojima extending into the sea also appeared.

"Look! Teacher Liu! Over there!"

The newly appointed co-pilot was a freshman from Shandong Province, fresh out of aviation school. His exceptional eyesight allowed him to quickly spot something unusual on the sea. "Over there, there are a lot of things that look like little ants... They can even see them from this height! It must be a large ship!"

Zhudao wasn't a naval port, but rather an anchorage, a place for ships to anchor and shelter from the wind. The scout quickly shifted the oblique lens used to focus on the target and soon spotted the many anchored ships. Liu Helian also began to lower his altitude, descending to around 12,000 meters and circling within a closed route—a range ideal for high-altitude reconnaissance cameras.

One of the two scouts stared at the screen, while the other pressed his eyes against the sighting eyepiece and began to search for ships on the sea. They had never seen a ship weighing more than a thousand tons except in photos, so they began to look for the 70,000-ton battleship, the largest in the world at that time.

"This one is too small, probably a destroyer, maybe not even a destroyer... This ship is huge! Is it this one?" "No, no, the Yamato has three turrets, and the one you see has four! This one should be the Nagato."

"The Nagato is also the flagship of the Japanese navy. Take a picture, take a picture..." The scout who was corrected didn't care. After all, he was already here. Once the Fairchild automatic lens started shooting, it would automatically use up a stack of negatives, so there was no way to save film. "Before the Yamato, the Nagato was considered the strongest battleship of the Japanese. She was also nearly 40,000 tons..."

"When will we be able to build a ship this big? Hey, look, is that the Yamato over there? It's at two o'clock, heading west from the east side of the anchorage!"

The scout who was staring at the screen of the future observation device shouted. He pointed to a sailing warship on the screen and signaled Liu Helian to adjust the direction of the plane.